Game of Shinobi
by Transcendent Equinox
Summary: Naruto dies in the Valley of the End and discovers that he's a videogame character. Now, he plans to use this strange power to become strong enough to make his dream come true. (Godlike!Naruto/Harem)
1. Act One: Tutorial Part One

**Any material that could potentially be considered infringement of copyrights and trademarks should be considered the property of their respective creators or owners. You are reading this of your own freewill, so please refrain from doing so if you don't like graphic violence, explicit sexuality, vulgar language, or polyamorous relationships. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns you can leave a review or PM me. Also, if you would kindly review, favorite, follow, and/or share the story with communities, I would greatly appreciate it.**

* * *

 **Act One: Tutorial Part One**

* * *

 **(The Day of Naruto's Death)**

Naruto Uzumaki stared at the world around him, blinking in confusion. He was surrounded by shadowy darkness, facing the floating words, **You Are Dead,** written in eerie crimson ink. Grayed out below that were the words:

* * *

 **You Are Dead**

 **Reload Last Checkpoint  
Return to Title Screen**

* * *

He couldn't believe what he was reading, or what it meant for him either.

He had just died at the hands of Sasuke, his best friend, in the Valley of the End. Sasuke had actually killed him, and that really hurt. Naruto looked down at his hands, which were trembling. Then they formed fists and stabilized, reflecting his newfound resolution. If there was a way for him to go back and change things so that their fight never happened, he would.

He cried for a few minutes, allowing his emotions to run their course while he continued thinking about what it was that he needed to do next. His hand wavered over **Go to Title Screen** , which glowed an even brighter red. It was nearly blinding in its radiance, yet he refused to look away from it. Then all the floating, luminescent ink swirled about before forming several more lines of words:

* * *

 **New Game**  
Load Save  
 **Settings**

* * *

Only the first and third choices were colored-in, meaning that he could actually select them. He clicked on the **Options** menu, to see what aspects of his life could be changed with the press of a button.

* * *

 **Settings**

 **Gameplay**  
 **Audio/Video**  
 **Cheats**

* * *

He stared at these words with narrowed eyes, his anger at the unfairness of his previous existence growing by the moment. Naruto clicked on the first option and was greeted with this sub-menu:

* * *

 **Game Settings**

 **Difficulty (Normal)  
Hints and Tutorials (Off)**  
 **HUD Opacity (Transparent)  
Perspective (First Person)**  
 **Navigation (Off)**

* * *

His lips twitched in amusement after he changed them all to this:

* * *

 **Game Settings**

 **Difficulty (Very Easy)**  
 **Hints and Tutorials (On)**  
 **HUD Opacity (Opaque)  
Perspective (First Person)**  
 **Navigation (On)**

* * *

Something told him that this was going to be a much easier and more interesting life than the one he'd just left behind. With all of this help, he might even be able to beat it without dying. That thought did at least a little to keep him from exploding with anger.

The second set of options was straightforward, and Naruto saw no need to fiddle with the setup that he already had, other than increasing his **Field of View** by ninety degrees. It was a bit disconcerting to be capable of seeing more than he could before. It would probably help him out of a sticky situation at some point in the future.

Next he looked over the **Cheats** tab:

* * *

 **Cheats (Unlocked By Gathering Collectibles and Completing Achievements)**

 **Enhanced Technique Training:** Unlocked By Protecting the Scroll of Sealing. Techniques Are Now Learned 20% Faster!

* * *

He grinned and selected the only available **Cheat**. That would certainly make his job a hell of a lot easier. Shrugging, he returned to **Title Screen** and selected **New Game**. A small box appeared soon after with this prompt:

* * *

 **Edit Attributes (Up To 20 Points Can Be Distributed)**

 **STR (Strength)...** Affects Carry Capacity and Melee Damage... 3  
 **PER (Perception)...** Affects Navigation and Sensory Abilities... 2  
 **END (Endurance)...** Affects Vitality and Energy... 4  
 **CHA (Charisma)...** Affects Party Capacity and Social Status... 2  
 **INT (Intellect)...** Affects Learning Rate and Experience Requirements... 1  
 **AGI (Agility)...** Affects Movement and Attack Speed... 3  
 **WIS (Wisdom)...** Affects Chakra and Decision Making... 2  
 **LUK (Luck)...** Affects Success Rates With Everything... 3

* * *

He decided that **INT** would probably benefit him more than some of the other **Attributes** that were at noticeably higher levels. He simply removed one from **STR** , two from **END** one from **AGI** , and one from **LUK**. This raised his **INT** from one to six, which he was happy with. Moving on to the next box...

* * *

 **Edit Traits (Up To 8 Traits Can Be Selected)**

 **Absent Minded:** Randomly Forget Things **  
Brave:** Effects of Killing Intent Halved **  
Charismatic: CHA** With the Weak Minded Doubled **  
Excitable:** Mood Is Easily Changed **  
Inappropriate:** Able to Say Anything **  
Rebellious:** Rarely Gets Caught Wrongdoing **  
Slob:** Can Hide Things In Clutter **  
Workaholic: END** Effectively Doubled

* * *

Selecting the first **Trait** opened up an entire list of other possible **Traits** he could choose. The entire list was far too long to actually try describing it on here. And what's more, quite a few of those traits were incompatible with one or another, so he had to experiment a bit to find a combination that would adequately do him justice.

With that settled, he finally got around to starting the **Game**. After ignoring a single prompt that asked him if he wanted to overwrite his last **Checkpoint** , he began at the very beginning of his adventure...

* * *

 **(Team Assignment Day)**

Having just woken up, Naruto realized that he remembered everything. He remembered his death at the hands of Sasuke Uchiha and the weird rendition of the afterlife that he was subjected to, and he was starting to wonder if all of that had been an elaborate dream until he saw it.

A holographic menu sprang into existence in front of him.

* * *

 **Start the Tutorial?**

 **Yes**  
 **No**

* * *

He, more out of curiosity than anything else, clicked yes. The phantasmagorical screen minimized into a leaf icon that was spinning, just above the word **Loading**. Then the icon, which had stayed in the exact center of his vision no matter where he looked, faded away. It didn't appear to be a physically present thing, because it had no reflection in his mirror, which didn't make him feel any better about the fact that he could see it.

* * *

 **Quest Unlocked: Tutorial**  
 **Objective 1: Do Your Morning Ritual**  
 **Objective 2: ?**  
 **Completion Reward: 100 EXP**

* * *

Blinking, the blond academy student looked around his bedroom for signs of anything out of the normal. That's when a deep voice, originating from nowhere and everywhere simultaneously, said to him, _"This is certainly an odd change of pace."_

A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, because he had a good idea about the identity of the speaker, and was hoping that he was wrong. "Ah, who just said that?" he asked aloud, hoping that the disembodied voice wasn't coming from inside his own head (although he'd even prefer schizophrenia to the Nine-Tails trying to communicate with him).

However, the voice never responded. Hoping that it was just his imagination, because the implications of it being anything but that were quite terrifying, he decided to ignore that for the time being and focus on what was in front of him. He quickly got to work preparing himself for the day. And as he did so, he noticed that several horizontal bars were highlighted into existence in the bottom left-hand corner of his vision.

* * *

 **Needs**

 **Hunger/Thirst**  
 **Bladder/Bowels**  
 **Energy/Rest**  
 **Hygiene**

* * *

Each bar showed up when he was doing something pertaining to them; **Hunger/Thirst** when he was consuming breakfast, **Bladder/Bowels** when he was using the restroom, **Energy/Rest** when he eyed his bed, and **Hygiene** when he started taking his shower. He blinked in confusion at that, wondering if that was a part of himself or the game.

At those thoughts, a hint box appeared: _'Your **HUD** works by taking the data that you subconsciously gather about yourself and the environment, and organizing it into graphic displays, all of which is pertinent to whatever situation you find yourself in.'_

When he was finished, a tingly sensation covered his whole body, as the notification appeared:

* * *

 **Objective Completed: Do Your Morning Ritual**  
 **Objective Unlocked: Go to the Ninja Academy**

* * *

"The Ninja Academy? What..." he began, but trailed off as something important just now caught his attention.

He couldn't help but notice that the calendar on his wall marked today as Graduation Test Day; he'd have to go through all of that bullshit again! The young boy groaned and began the arduous task of mentally preparing himself for the shit-show that he was about to face back at ninja academy...

Then another horrifying thought occurred to him. Without even thinking about it, he tried to perform the **Shadow Clone Technique**. But all he did was expend an enormous amount of chakra, simultaneously causing two things to happen. The more noticeable was that a message flashed across the center of his vision, reading:

* * *

 **You Have Not Learned This Technique Yet**

* * *

The other new development was the reveal of a horizontal blue bar in the upper left-hand corner of his vision. Then, a hint box appeared: _'Your **MP** represents your chakra reserves, what fuels all ninjutsu and genjutsu techniques. Fully depleting this resource can lead to chakra exhaustion, a debilitating but temporary condition. Use your chakra wisely...'_

So it seemed that he would have to relearn his prized **Technique** , somehow. He pondered that for a few moments, before remembering that he was on a **Quest**. Within moments he was out the door. But as soon as his foot crossed the threshold, he was beset with another round of notifications.

* * *

 **You Have Discovered the Location: Konoha  
Reward: 75 EXP  
Current EXP: 75/100**

 **You Have Discovered the Landmark: Apartment Complex**  
 **Reward: 5 EXP  
Current EXP: 80/100**

* * *

So apparently discovering new **Locations** and **Landmarks** gave him **EXP**. That was a useful. But beyond allowing him to **Level-Up** faster (because what else could EXP be used for?), he wondered if that mechanic provided any other benefits to him. Beyond adding some order to his rather chaotic life, he so far hadn't had any unique bonuses afforded to him by the **Game** beyond cheating death.

As if in response, a hint box appeared: _'You can **Fast-Travel** to discovered **Locations** from the **World Map**. Actually making the trip can lead to unique experiences, however...'_

Keeping that in mind, he began his journey to the Ninja Academy. On the way there, he noticed that in the bottom right-hand corner of his vision was a small circular map, a **Mini-Map**. He couldn't help the maniacal grin that practically split his face; this was going to be an incredibly useful tool, especially for the line of work that he was going into.

On said **Mini-Map** , a white arrow, which he assumed to be himself, resided in the center. And a golden waypoint resided where he knew the school to be. The vast majority of the map was blacked out, though the places that he was passing through weren't any more. So it seemed like he'd have to go exploring if he wanted to get rid of the **Black Map**.

A hint box showed up: _'Alternatively you_ could _buy a **Map** , but these are often lacking in details you could find through exploration...'_

Noting that, he continued perusing his **Mini-Map**. In the few sections that weren't **Black Map** , he could see all sorts of useful information. It showed the outlines of buildings, as well as the streets and roads that cut paths through the village. He noticed, oddly enough, that everything was tinged blue, and wondered about the significance of that. Although, he more wondered why it couldn't be orange.

The ubiquitous hint box: _'The color of **Territory** is based on how it will respond to you. Blue is for allied, grey is for neutral, and red is for hostile. These colors apply to individuals too...'_

And on top of all that, there were blue dots marking where people were in his immediate vicinity. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the lighter ones were civilians and the darker were shinobi. However a white dot turned out to be a baby, and a navy blue one ended up being a jounin. So it was obvious that the color itself showed the hostility of the individual in question, while its darkness denoted their potential threat level.

Another hint box opened: _'Your **Mini-Map** acts as a radar, in that it can detect objects and people that you can interact with. It can, however, be fooled...'_

He also noticed, as he continued moving through the crowd, that whenever they went inside the dots would become faded. And, as he took all this in, several of the shinobi, those that he saw hopping about the rooftops, were upwards-pointing triangles instead of regular dots, which meant that it also showed him what their elevation was in relation to his own.

Then, as he moved toward his destination, he noticed that the areas he'd discovered dimmed a little after he left the immediate area. And then he could no longer see any of the dots that were there, though the shinobi most noticeably disappeared first.

Upon having this realization, a hint popped up: _' **Fog of War** covers areas that you've explored but can't sense anything in or you haven't yet discovered the **Checkpoint**.' _ And then, as if sensing what he wanted to know more about, another one read: _'A **Checkpoint** is where you can **Save** your **Game**. They can only be activated in allied **Territory** , and raise **Fog of War** around allied characters' **Line of Sight**.'_

It didn't take him long to arrive at his old classroom, which was largely empty because he was so early.

* * *

 **Landmark Discovered: Ninja Academy  
Reward: 5 EXP  
Current EXP: 85/100**

 **Objective Completed: Go to the Ninja Academy**  
 **Objective Unlocked: Take the Genin Exam**

* * *

Shrugging, he sat in his usual spot, thinking about the oddity of his existence now that he knew he could survive death via being the avatar of a videogame player. He began pondering whether this self-awareness was what allowed him to be aware of the **Game** at all, and whether the people around him were players or characters.

Only time would tell.

As he was sitting there, he realized that his musings were very unlike the way he used to think, and wondered why for only a brief moment. But then he remembered how he changed his **Attributes** and **Traits**. Deciding that he was curious about any other effects that this might cause, he found himself wanting to open up the **Main Menu**.

And just as the thought entered his mind, a holographic screen appeared before him.

* * *

 **Main Menu**

 **Inventory  
Party  
Data  
Settings**

* * *

Shrugging, he decided to go through each of the submenus just to figure out what all was going on. Luckily for him, the layout was quite intuitive and he quickly learned how to navigate through it all. He did notice, however, that time slowed down substantially when that menu was open. So it wasn't quite like pausing the **Game** , but it was awfully close.

* * *

 **Inventory (Carry Weight 20lbs)**

 **Weapons:** 10 Kunai Knives, 10 Blunt Shuriken **  
Apparel:** Konoha Headband, Orange Jumpsuit (-1 **CHA** ) **  
Aid:** N/A **  
Scrolls:** N/A **  
Keys:** Apartment Keys, ID Card **  
Miscellaneous:** N/A

* * *

There was a small hint box that said, _'As your **Inventory** grows, separate tabs will be created for each **Item** category.'_

Keeping that in mind, Naruto grinned and was about to move on to the next submenu, but was interrupted by the arrival of pretty much all the graduates simultaneously. He tuned them out for the most part, only responding with pleasantries whenever anybody specifically talked to him. There was a way that he could pass the test the first time through, he just knew it.

But then he stopped himself. If he graduated now, he wouldn't be able to learn the **Shadow Clone Technique** , because he wouldn't have a good reason for taking the Scroll of Sealing without Mizuki's interference. So, even though he was much smarter now, he would have to bomb the test. Although, he didn't exactly have enough time to adequately prepare for the test. And he briefly wondered if his failure was scripted into the game. Like, he wasn't sure if it was altogether even possible to pass. That was a thought for another day, because he wasn't sure if it really mattered at this point.

Before long the written portion started, with Naruto exerting the bare minimum amount of effort to skirt by. After that finished, the taijutsu section started, and this is where a new development emerged.

His opponent was Mizuki, the traitorous chuunin. The goal was to land at least one hit on the instructor, who would be passively defending himself, within the time allotted. As soon as he stood facing that man, some of the anger started to boil up. But he held it at bay, refused to alloy it to come to the surface. Because really, how would he be able to justify that yet?

As soon as Mizuki technically became his enemy, and therefore hostile, his dot on the map turned red. Additionally, his name floated above his head, along with a bright red bar.

Naruto grit his teeth and ran forward, starting things off with a right roundhouse. His technique was abysmal, likened more often to a drunken brawler than a trained shinobi. And that much was readily apparent to him when the white-haired chuunin effortlessly sidestepped him; he failed to land his first strike altogether.

A horizontal green bar appeared right above the blue one that represented his chakra. A tiny, negligible chunk fell away as he threw the powerful but sloppy punch. A hint box appeared, _'Your **SP** is an indicator of your overall energy, which is expended during strenuous physical activity. Once your **SP** is depleted, you begin to become fatigued, which means that all physical activity comes with a delay and a price...'_

He continued with a flurry of sloppy punches and kicks, but they were all blocked, dodged, or were good enough that they'd be able to take out the average civilian, but that put him roughly in the middle of the class in terms of taijutsu ability. To the trained eye, he telegraphed all of his attacks, which made it easy for a chuunin to keep up with what he was doing.

But they weren't meant to land, not really. Because Naruto didn't actually expect to break through Mizuki's defenses head-on. No, he threw those attacks out there to distract his instructor, so that his maneuvering wouldn't be immediately picked up on. Besides, who would suspect that Naruto would even try to use a strategy?

And so the blond student jumped on Mizuki's back, grappling in the hopes of being able to pummel the man. But even this move would have easily been avoided by the more experienced combatant had he willed it. However, he didn't. The moment Naruto landed, the man promptly body-slammed him so hard that a small dust cloud kicked up.

During the moment of impact, a final bar appeared in the upper right-hand corner of his vision. This one was red, and on top, and something told him that it was going to be the last bar added to his vision for quite some time.

The accompanying hint said: _'Your **HP** is an indicator of your overall vitality. When it is depleted, you will be incapacitated and a timer (affected by your **END** ) will begin counting down. During this time, allied forces can resuscitate you, or enemy forces can commit a fatality, wherein you die and must start over from the last **Checkpoint**.'_

"I gotcha, Mizuki-sensei," he wheezed out. The entire class had witnessed him land a punch to the instructor's ribs too, so he definitely wasn't lying. And that concluded the taijutsu portion of the test, even though Iruka was frowning pretty hard at his teaching assistant.

A new hint box appeared: _'On your current **Difficulty** of **Very Easy** , your **HP** , **SP** , and **MP** can be replenished instantly by performing healing techniques, consuming foods and drugs, utilizing meditation and sleep, or your natural healing factor. Higher **Difficulty** levels reduce the efficiency and effectiveness of every healing method...'_

They finally went back inside to complete the final portion of the Genin Exams, ninjutsu. Naruto promptly failed when asked to use the **Clone Technique**. And oddly enough, upon attempting the technique, he was rewarded with another notification that he hadn't yet learned a technique. Which was a curious development, see how he learned the theory at the Academy...

"Oh wait," Naruto murmured aloud. He just now realized that it'd been Mizuki who taught it to him, which meant that he was probably sabotaged from the very start. That traitorous piece of shit probably planned it out more than a few months beforehand, copying Ao Rokushi who got Idate to steal the Thunder Sword in much the same way.

So he'd failed the Genin Exam, and therefore was told that he couldn't graduate.

* * *

 **Objective Completed: Take the Genin Exam**  
 **Objective Unlocked: Talk to Mizuki**

* * *

He promptly left the Ninja Academy and sat on the swing outside, much like he did the time before. The only difference was that he wasn't sulking and pouting about the unfairness of his life. No, this time he was planning his vengeance. And to do that, he needed to get the lay of the land, so to speak.

It was time to begin looking through the submenus that he'd neglected a bit earlier. Since he'd already gone through **Settings** before he even started, and he looked through **Inventory** before any of the others, he decided to go through **Data**. After all, it wasn't like there was going to be anything interesting in his **Party** submenu yet, right?

* * *

 **Data**

 **Player**  
 **World**

* * *

Without really putting too much thought into it, he decided to click on the first option. What he didn't realize, was that this was going to open up a whole slew of possible choices too.

* * *

 **Player Data**

 **Information & Status**  
 **Attributes & Traits**  
 **Powers & Perks**  
 **Skills & Techniques**

* * *

 **Information**

 **Name:** Naruto Uzumaki  
 **Age:** 12; **Level:** 0  
 **Experience:** 85/100  
 **Title:** Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Host  
 **Class:** N/A  
 **Morality:** Neutral  
 **Purity:** Neutral

 **Status**

 **Depressed:** 10% Penalty to MP Usage  
 **Malnourished:** 10% Penalty to SP Usage

* * *

 **Attributes**

 **STR** 2  
 **PER** 2  
 **END** 2  
 **CHA** 2  
 **INT** 6  
 **AGI** 2  
 **WIS** 2  
 **LUK** 2

 **Traits**

 **Adventurous: PER** Effectively Doubled  
 **Brave:** Effects of Killing Intent Halved  
 **Charismatic: CHA** With the Weak Minded Doubled  
 **Disciplined:** Martial Arts Skill Training Doubled  
 **Genius: INT** Based Skills Training Doubled  
 **Irresistible: CHA** With Females Doubled  
 **Lucky: LUK** Effectively Doubled  
 **Workaholic: END** Effectively Doubled

* * *

 **Powers**

 **Fiction Adaption** (+1) **:** Allows the User to Adapt Fictional Skills and Knowledge, and Use Them As 'Truths'; Activation Enabled Once Every Level. **  
Fiction Integration** (+1) **:** Allows the User to Integrate Fictional Abilities and Powers and Use Them As 'Truths'; Activation Enabled Once Every Five Levels.

 **Perks**

 **Current Perks**

 **Enhanced Technique Training:** Techniques Are Now Learned 20% Faster! **  
Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Host:** Chakra Reserves Increased Tenfold **  
Uzumaki Heritage:** Natural Healing Rate Increased Tenfold; Training Rate Doubled For **STR** , **END** , and **AGI**

 **Available Perks**

 **N/A**

* * *

His two **Powers** greatly interested him, and he felt that he should use them as soon as possible to get the most use out of them. He ruminated on what skill he would like to gain the most, and what **Powers** caught his interest the most. And as he sat on the swing, pondering, a hint box appeared: _'Fiction Integration should be used to obtain abilities and powers from characters that are human; to do otherwise can have some nasty side-effects...'_

This gave him pause, but he already knew what he wanted to use his Powers on. " **[Fiction Adaption]: Activate** ," he commanded, and felt the tingly power of the **Gamer** coursing through him. He willed the knowledge and skills to course through him, to become a part of him.

* * *

 **Skill Category Unlocked: Nasu-Verse Skills**

* * *

And then he used his other **Power**. Assuming that mutants from the X-Men comics were still in the homo genus and therefore technically still humans, he enthused, " **[Fiction Integration]: Activate**."

He felt something click into place within him, and his whole body began to tingle with power. Sparks ran up and down his arms as he felt his control over the fundamental force of electromagnetism take hold.

* * *

 **Power Unlocked: Magneto's Power**

 **Current Powers:**

 **Fiction Adaption**  
 **Fiction Integration**  
 **Magneto's Power** (0/100): Allows the user to control electricity and magnetism in all forms.

* * *

A hint box appeared: _'Your Power will gain effectiveness, efficiency, and versatility the more it is used...'_ He knew for a fact that Magneto was one of the more powerful mutants in existence, and could use his powers in a wide variety of ways. And that's why he chose it for his first integrated **Power**.

With a grin, he decided to move on to the last tab in the Player Data submenu:

* * *

 **Skills**

 **Kishi-Verse Skills**

 **Shurikenjutsu** (0/100) **  
Ninjutsu** (0/100) **  
Genjutsu** (0/100) **  
Taijutsu** (0/100)

 **Mundane Skills**

 **Cleaning** (0/100)  
 **Cooking** (0/100)  
 **Fishing** (0/100)  
 **Gardening** (0/100)  
 **Hunting** (0/100)  
 **Observation** (1/100)  
 **Riding** (0/100)  
 **Speechcraft** (0/100)  
 **Stealth Arts** (0/100)

 **Nasu-Verse Skills**

 **N/A**

 **Techniques**

 **Ninjutsu Techniques**

 **Substitution** (0/100) **  
Transformation** (0/100) **  
Sexy Transformation** (0/100)

* * *

And just as soon as he finished looking through that menu, somebody standing right in front of him cleared their throat to get his attention. So he looked up and saw Mizuki, the man smiling down at him kindly "Naruto, would you like to go on a walk with me? I want to talk to you about something..." the white-haired chuunin said softly...

* * *

 **A/N: I won't be giving any in-world explanations as to why Naruto is aware of the fictional skills and knowledge that he adapts, or abilities and powers that he integrates. Just suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride, or don't read this if you can't get passed the lack of so-called realism here. Its fanfiction, people; not really meant to be taken to seriously, is it?**


	2. Act One: Tutorial Part Two

**Any material that could potentially be considered infringement of copyrights and trademarks should be considered the property of their respective creators or owners. You are reading this of your own freewill, so please refrain from doing so if you don't like graphic violence, explicit sexuality, vulgar language, or polyamorous relationships. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns you can leave a review or PM me. Also, if you would kindly review, favorite, follow, and/or share the story with communities, I would greatly appreciate it.**

* * *

 **Act One: Tutorial Part Two**

* * *

As he looked at the building that housed the Scroll of Seals, he shook his head in bewilderment. How had he been so stupid as to fall for Mizuki's ruse the first time around? Really, as he thought about it, he probably didn't deserve to become a genin after that fiasco. However, if that'd been the case, then he wouldn't be where he currently was, now would he?

* * *

 **Landmark Discovered: Hokage Residence**  
 **Reward: 5 EXP  
Current EXP: 90/100**

* * *

He grinned at the notification, knowing that he was very close to his first **Level-Up**. As he finally arrived at the tower, he crouched so that it'd be more difficult to notice him. And when he did this, the word **[Hidden]** was in the center of his vision. Naruto wondered at the significance of this, until a hint box appeared: _'Crouching toggles **Sneaking** ; this makes you harder to detect and have better aim with projectiles.' _

With that in mind, the shuffled all the way through the tower, avoiding anyone that might notice him. The entire building was tinged red instead of blue, and everybody's dots were red now. He assumed it was because he was in a place that he didn't have the proper clearance to be in, especially after hours. However, with his current skill set, he didn't think that he'd be getting caught any time soon.

Soon he was standing in the Hokage's office, with the object he was supposed to be retrieving strung over his shoulder.

* * *

 **Objective Completed: Obtain the Scroll of Seals**  
 **Objective Unlocked: Head to the Rendezvous Point**

* * *

It was just as he was leaving the office that it happened. He crossed paths with a random chuunin, and the static white **(Hidden)** promptly changed to a blinking yellow **(Caution)**. The patrolling ninja, whose name was apparently Kotetsu since it was floating above his head, tilted said head curiously to the side and began walking towards Naruto, who was hidden in a shadowy alcove between two columns.

And when the shinobi was ten feet away, it changed into a flashing orange **(Warning)**. An **HP** bar also appeared over Kotetsu's head as he continued moving closer, a kunai knife drawn from his weapon holster. Naruto held his breath, hoping that his **LUK** would keep the man from discovering him. But alas, it was not to be.

 **(Danger)** began glowing bright red as Kotetsu discovered him. "Hey kid, what are you doing up here? Wait a minute... Naruto, is that you? And why do you have the-" but the man cut off as he apparently figured it out. Brandishing his weapon, the man growled out, "Traitor! Give me that scroll!"

But Naruto just shook his head. He silently dashed away from the irate chuunin, and jumped out a window. A hint popped up: _'Falling can cause you a fair bit of damage; tucking and rolling, upon landing, can help mitigate this...'_ Completely ignoring that advice, he decided to use one of his newly realized Powers to aid him in this situation.

With a **Technique** that he internally referred to as **[Static Thrusters]** , he used static electricity to allow himself to glide gently down to the ground.

* * *

 **Technique Discovered: Static Thrusters  
Reward: 5 EXP  
Current EXP: 95/100**

* * *

The boy paused for only a moment to look back, and saw the chuunin speaking into the walkie-talkie embedded in his flak jacket. A circular icon began to fill up next to the man, captioned: _'Calling Reinforcements.'_ And in that split second that the academy student spent to look back, the chuunin finished making his report.

His **Mini-Map** began flashing bright red, and four white stars filled up it's outer golden trim. "What the Hell's going on?" he muttered as he began hopping away, noting that dozens of red dots were beginning to converge on his position, all of which were dark crimson and moving incredibly quickly.

At that moment, a hint box appeared: _'When you commit a crime, law enforcement begins pursuing you. As you commit more crimes, your **Notoriety Level** increases and the forces going after you start being made up of stronger shinobi...'_

With that information, it was fairly easy to assume that each **Notoriety Level** corresponded with a different ninja rank: genin were one-star, chuunin were two-star, jounin were three-star, ANBU were four-star, and Kage were five-star. So, he was being tracked down by ANBU. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" he said, as he ran as fast as he could over rooftops and through alleys.

The Rendezvous Point was marked by a golden waypoint on his **Mini-Map** , which showed that it was well into the forest surrounding Konoha. Without another thought, he jumped onto one of the many power-lines that crisscrossed the ninja village. With another **Technique** called **[Induction Grind]** , he began sliding along with the electric current hidden inside the thick cables, reaching speeds that left most of his pursuers well behind him.

* * *

 **Technique Discovered: Induction Grind  
Reward: 5 EXP  
Current EXP: 100/100**

 **Level-Up! Current Level: 1  
Experience: 0/150**

* * *

It only took him a few more minutes to reach the western gate, one of the four only ways for civilians to enter or exit the massive village. Two chuunin guardsmen were waiting for him, so he did the only thing that he could think to do; he performed another new technique of his named **[Thunder Drop]**. He absorbed the static electricity in the air around him as he fell, releasing it all in a shockwave as he touched the ground.

* * *

 **Technique Discovered: Thunder Drop**  
 **Reward: 5 EXP  
Current EXP: 5/150**

* * *

The two chuunin were blown back a dozen or so feet, and Naruto ran right past them into the woods. He saw on the **Mini-Map** that there were hundreds of red dots leaving the village and fanning out in search of him, and an outline of the fifth star started blinking. Something told him that he really didn't want to find out how good the old man was in a fight.

He hurried, and it took a few more minutes for him to reach his destination.

* * *

 **Objective Completed:** **Head to the Rendezvous Point**  
 **Objective Unlocked: Use the Scroll of Sealing  
**

* * *

Knowing that there likely wasn't anything else for him to do at this point, he did the only thing that he could: he opened the Scroll of Sealing and began getting to work.

* * *

 **Technique Learned: Shadow Clone  
** **Technique Learned: Shadow Kunai**

 **Objective Completed:** **Use the Scroll of Sealing  
** **Objective Unlocked: Defend Yourself**

* * *

So apparently discovering **Techniques** on his own would net him more **EXP** than simply learning them, since there was no reward beyond the **Technique** itself. But, if that was the case, then shouldn't he have been able to 'discover' the **Shadow Clone Technique** when he first tried it? Perhaps there was more to gaining new **Techniques** than he thought there was... He would have to experiment with that later. For the time being though, he had something else to deal with.

He couldn't control his body anymore. Everything around him was suddenly happening the same way it did last time, as if... as if he was in a cutscene. And so, the next sequence of events could be roughly described by the following sentences:

Iruka caught up to Naruto and admonished him for taking the Scroll of Sealing. Then Mizuki showed up and tried to retrieve the scroll from Naruto. The two chuunin argued, revealing Mizuki to be a traitor. The rogue ninja told Naruto that he was the holder of the Nine-Tails, which meant that he was the demon itself. Iruka reassured the boy that he wasn't the Nine-Tails, and the traitor berated him further for it.

Iruka ended up asking the rogue shinobi how his fiance Tsubaki felt about his actions. Mizuki, in a rage, caught the loyal instructor in the back with a giant shuriken. And that's how the cinematic event ended, finally granting Naruto the freedom to do as he wished.

Pure anger radiating off of him, and the air around him was crackling with static electricity. He stared coldly at his enemy, even as his sense began extending outward for any traces of ferromagnetic elements in the nearby soil.

"What are you going to do now, Fox?" called out Mizuki, his crazed eyes twitching with hatred. "You're the reason my whole family died, you know. I suppose, in a way, killing the only person that ever showed you affection helped make my vengeance that much sweeter. I-"

The Earth beneath the rogue's feet shot up at him, forming a hardened spear in the hopes of impaling him. Mizuki did manage to dodge the full brunt of the assault, though it still grazed him.

* * *

 **Technique Discovered: Earth Spike**  
 **Reward: 5 EXP  
Current EXP: 10/150**

* * *

"I'm going to kill you know, traitor," said Naruto, hungrily prowling forward. "I'm going to use your own weapons against you. Your skin will break, your organs will rupture, your blood will fall... You will know pain. Of that, you have my assurance." And then the twelve year-old extended his hand, summoning the two giant shuriken. One came off of Mizuki's holster, the other out of Iruka's back.

* * *

 **Technique Discovered: Magnetic Draw**  
 **Reward: 5 EXP  
Current EXP: 15/150**

* * *

The enormous metal wheels began spinning, seemingly of their own accord, moving so fast that they were creating currents of wind throughout the clearing. And then, with a pulse of outwardly moving magnetic energy, he launched the two shuriken fast enough to break the sound barrier. Moving beyond the traitor's ability to react, the attacks landed.

The hunks of metal skewed right through him, as well as several tried immediately behind him, before hitting the ground and gouging out enormous ditches in the ground. Mizuki was now nothing below his rib-cage, his organs and entrails leaking out of his chest cavity.

* * *

 **Technique Discovered: Induction Cannon**  
 **Reward: 5 EXP  
Current EXP: 20/150**

* * *

The blond ran over to Iruka, who'd quietly watched the whole thing with wide eyes. "I didn't know you had a bloodline ability, Naruto," said the instructor softly. "But that doesn't matter right now. All that matters is that you saved my life, and managed to take out a chuunin in the process. I... Naruto, I want you to close your eyes."

The boy complied, and knew how this was going to go too.

* * *

 **Objective Completed: Defend Yourself  
** **Quest Completed: Tutorial  
** **Completion Reward: 100 EXP  
** **Current EXP: 120/150**

 **Rank Unlocked: Genin**  
 **Item Obtained: Leaf Headband**

* * *

 **Rep Improved: Iruka  
Iruka: Liked**

 **Rep Improved: Konoha Shinobi  
Konoha Shinobi: Disliked**

 **Rep Improved: Konoha Civilians  
Konoha Civilians: Despised**

* * *

Another hint popped up: _' **Rep** is short for Reputation. This shows you the overall opinion that any person, group, organization, or establishment has of you. Better **Rep** can lead to any number of advantages, while worse **Rep** can make dealings downright problematic...'_

* * *

 **Quest Unlocked: Team 7  
Objective 1: Register As a Konoha Shinobi  
Objective 2: ?  
Completion Reward: 150 EXP**

* * *

And then he opened his eyes, smiling softly. Things were starting to look up for him.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter is much shorter than my typical uploads because I simply am having writer's block for this story, and I truly do apologize for this. What I need are ideas to help flesh out the story. Suggestions for game mechanics and conflicts would be greatly appreciated. His powers and knowledge are largely decided upon, but if somebody has a truly good idea then I might consider using it.**


End file.
